An example for the need of a restraint for securely holding articles in place, while at the same time allowing quick access thereto, is found in tournament bass fishing. In tournament bass fishing, anglers have a limited amount of time in which to produce the best catch, thereby to win the tournament. Common practice is to fish, successively, at different spots seeking an adequate catch. Because of the time constraint, anglers in a bass tournament have many different poles, rigged and ready for use. Anglers typically use high speed boats so as to reduce the time required to travel from one fishing spot to the next, frequently encountering rough water, created by wind and/or other boats. When traveling from spot to spot, it is desirable to not restore rigged fishing poles to a pole locker, it being preferred to keep them readily accessible on deck. To hold the pole securely while traveling, some sort of restraint is required. Since some of the poles are extremely large, up to eight feet in length, the common practice is to secure poles to the forward deck of a bass boat when traveling.
Restraints for fishing poles known to the prior art have been inadequate. One restraint simply uses VELCRO to hold fishing poles to the deck of a boat. However, the VELCRO does not hold adequately. Another restraint uses an elastic strap which is secured with a hook and eye combination. However, this combination stands out from the deck and poses a safety hazard with the potential of tripping an angler, and/or injuring an angler that steps on the hook/eye combination. Another restraint utilizes a T-shaped slot embedded in the deck. However, slots have a tendency to fill with matter and become blocked.